Indicating mechanism.



M. U- BERNHEH'W INDICATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JAN.4. IBIZ.

1,238,059. PatentedvAug. 21,1917.

f? 1,, 6%WW MORRIS U. IBERNHEIM, or erncrnna'rr, onto, ASSIGNOR To THE ALVEY-FERGUSON coMrAnY, or CINCINNATI, 01110, A, oonrona rron or onto.

INDIQ E E ISM,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,Mor.urs U. BERNHEIM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the countyof Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful' Improvements in Indicating Meclr anisms,.0f which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to. indicating mechanism for the trucks of freight or baggage transferring systems, of the style, for example, shown in my ap lication which since the filingof the present application-has become Letters Patent of the United States dated January 12, 1915, lhimber 1,124,271, of which the present application is a division.

Reference may be had to theaforesaid patent for a full understanding with reference to a system of transferring freight, baggage and thelikeof which the present inventionmaybe regarded as an element, being more especially but not exclusively intended for use upon a truck which may usefully be employed in sucha system. The truck which I have herein illustratei'l' is shown, described and claimed in an application. filed by me of even date herewith and which has become Letters Patent No. 1,124,267, dated January 12,1915, to which patent reference may." be had for a full understanding of the structure of one form of truck towhich the present invention may desirably be applied. This particular con,- struction of truck, however, is not essential to the present invention.

For the foregoing reasons, I shall not herein attemptto-describe in detail either the systemin its entirety orthe particular construction of truck whichI have illustrated as an example of one upon whichthe indicating means of the present invention may be employed; but I msh to call attention to the fact, as exemplifying an impors tant purpose and utility of the indicating means herein set forth and claimed, that in my aforesaid Patent N0."l,124i,271 there is disclosed a platform whichis shown asextending around a freight shed and is provided with what is arbitrarily termed a main line, said main linebeing'tapped at intervals by lateral switches, the spaces between the switches preferably correspondns e th tl-i ane s we a theate o propelling chain.

, r i t of Letters n Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

Serial No. 499,337. Divided and this app1ication fi1edJanuary 4,

Serial No. 669,466.

cars whichxare being loaded or unloaded beside the platform. In the use of these systems, it is desirable to arrange a seriesof trains. side by side andfrequently on each given a particular number, .or other suitable designation, and the train thereon may take its designation therefrom: thus, train'No. 1, train No. 2 and so on. The, cars of each train further aregiVe-n particular designations, as car No. 1, car'No. Qand so on. l/Vhen more than one'train are side by side, cars bearing corresponding numbers are side by side.

The present invention is more particularly adapted for use as an element of a system such as has been hereinbefore referred to, but it is not intended to restrict its application to the particular system set forth, as it is intended to employ it in any system of transferring freight, baggage or the like wherein a truck or carrier of the present character may be usefully employed. In the-drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a truck embodying the present improvements, showing also a part of the platform. 1 i

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. of the truck and a side view of a portion of its Fig. 3 is a front view of the truck: and Fig. l is] a transverse section on the line -ft--'t of Fig. 1.

'Befe'rring now particularly to the subject matter forming the present. invention: F designates a suitable wheeled truck which is provided with a plurality of drums, marked 50 and 'GOrespectively, which are rotatably mounted side by side on an exposed. portion 1 of 'the truck. Each of these drums ishere shown asbeing mounted on the front of. the truck, below the platformjor floor of the latter, and is provided with a vertical shaft (-51and6l) having a knurled head (52 and for .convenience in turning it. These drums have their peripheral.surfaces suit.- ably providedwith indices of any suitable nature, such as the numbers illustrated, for example. Other suitable indices corresponding to those on the peripheral surfaces of the drums are arranged around the axial shafts of the drum and contiguous to the upper surface of the latter. Pointers 53 and 63 are arranged to cooperate with the upper indices to indicate when the drums have been turned to expose the proper indices on the circumferential sides of the drums, the pointers and said upper indices being relatively movable. Preferably, the upper series of indices are carried by indicating disks or dials (54l64) which move with the drums, the pointers (5363) in such case being fixed in position.

One of these drums may relate to the train and the other to the car of that train. Thus,

' the indication shown inFig. 3 may be assumed to disclose to the attendant that the packages on that track are intended for car No. 8 of train No. 2. The proper attendant observing this indication will set his switch to divert the truck from the main line to the branch line which leads toward the several cars numbered 3, and at a proper time, which may be immediately upon the deliv cry of the truck by the switch, or later according to circumstances, said truck will be 1 taken-to car number 3 of train 2 and emptied. The truck when emptied is then returned-to the main line, which returns it to a loadingstation. Ifthe car referred to contains packages to be delivered to another train, in waiting, or to any other unloading. station, such packages are placed thereon and the indicator is properly set, before the truck is returned to the main line. Again, an attendant may divert an empty truck from the main line, when he has packages to be delivered to another car or the station or shed, ormay divert a truck containing packages when he has others intended for the same destination.

To protect the indicators and at the same time avoid the disadvantages of their occupancy of floor space, each is arranged as stated below the fioor of the truck, and their heads (52 and 62) aremounted in sleeves (marked 55 and through which they are accessible from above, the dials being below andprojecting beyond the edges of the contiguous transverse member 17 of the truckframe, whilethe' designations of the inclicating drums-are exposed through openings marked 56 and 57 in the plate 58.

While the present invention has been ex amplified in its application as a part ofa systeqn in which the truck is propelledby' alt external chain, it is apparent that it may li'ei cmbodi'ed as a part of a system in which the: tfinckflis driven electrically, bypower derided 'fro'm an external source, and'its applicatdcmfla s a part of such system is contea l ate'clnto be Within the spirit of the invein, onmand tltedscope of the subjoined o'iaimsgmm eccilim filo. 5

Having now described the invention what I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A-wheeled truck provided with a plurality of independently rotatable drums having indicating elements thereon cooperatively indicating the destination of the truck, theelements on one drum indicating receiving stations and theelements on the other drum indicating units of said stations, and means on the truck through which selected indications of both drums are simultaneously exposed while the other elements on both drums are concealed.

2. A truck provided with a plurality of indicating drums having independentlyoperable means for adjusting the same, said drums cooperatively designating the des tination of the truck, said truck having a floor member which is arranged over said drums and protects the same, the truck also having its front member provided with an opening'for each drum, each of said openings being arranged to expose one indicating element of its drum at a time 3. A wheeled truck provided with a plurality of independently rotatable drums having indicating elements thereon co6pera tively indicating the destination of the truck, the elements on one drum indicating receiving stations and; the elements on the other drum indicating units of said stations, said drum being mounted side by side and each having a shaft provided with a head for convenience in turning it, and means separate from said indicating elements for indicating the positions of the drums, the said means'including, for each drum, relatively movable elements, each movable ele ment of the means turning with its corresponding drum. I

4:. A wheeled truck provided with a plurality of independently rotatable drums having indicatingelements on the periph: eral surfaces thereof cocperatively indicating the destination of the truck, the elements on one drum indicating receiving stations and the elements on the other drum indicating units of said stations, said drums being mounted side by side and each having a shaft provided with a head-for convenience in turning it, each drum also having a separate set of indicating elements mounted on a surface thereof which is at an angle tov the first setof indicating elements and corresponding to the latter, and means 00- I ing a plurality of indicating elements, a

second set of indicating elements, the second indicating elements are exposed.

(S. A truck, a drum mounted at the front thereof and having its forward surface adjacent to said front provided with a set of indicating elements, the front of the truck having an opening through which the indi-, eating elements are individually exposed, said drum also having its axial shaft provided with a head for convenience in turning it, a sleeve surrounding the headed portion of the'shatt, said sleeve being open to give access to the head, a second set of indicating elements and a cooperating element Copies of this patent may be obtained for for indicating the position to which the truck has been adjusted, said second set of indicating elements being arranged around the axial shaft of the drum and adjacent to a surface of the latter, the second set of indicating elements and its said cooperating element being arranged for relative movement, the indicating elements 011 one of said drums indicating a set of receiving elements and the indicating elements on the remaining drum indicating a unit of such set, and

said truck having a member which par-' tially covers the drum and protects the latter, said member having an opening alined with the opening in the sleeve for giving access to the latter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MORRIS U. BERNHEIM.

Witnesses OSCAR KOEHLER, ELMER BERNHEIM.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. G. 

